


Stitches

by Siobhan_Daley



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Attempted Murder, F/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Murder, Murder Most Foul, Original Character Death(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, comedy took a swan-dive out the window, originally meant to be comedic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-24 01:35:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10731438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siobhan_Daley/pseuds/Siobhan_Daley
Summary: Aya and Ana Stein were raised in a laboratory by their father, Dr. Franken Stein. When the girls are sixteen, their father decides that it's time to get the two out into the world, and enrolls them in the DWMA. What could happen to these twins who have never met anyone outside their home before?





	1. Chapter 1

_ Deep in the woods, behind the graveyard and down a dark path, there was a laboratory where a crazy man lived. His experiments had such strange forms, but some were quite happy, or so the girls heard, oblivious and naive to what this man did. _

Late at night, while the bloody moon shone, two tiny twin girls wandered alone through a cemetery, hooks dangling from the trees clanking against each other in the wind. As they approached the furthest side from the main road, the path that led to the girls' destination came into sight from amongst the tombstones.

"Come on, Aya! I can see the trail!" the twin with slightly darker hair squealed excitedly and ran ahead.

The older, sturdier of the twins plodded behind, carrying both of their suitcases that held everything they owned; some clothes, a little bit of money, and a few books. "Calm down, Ana," She said, blowing her warm silvery-gray hair out of her eyes moodily, "You're gonna give me a headache. Seriously, what's the big deal?"

The more energetic of the two stared at her gloomy sister with innocent green eyes. "Aren't you excited though, Aya? We're finally gonna get to meet him!"

"What are two little girls doing alone in a graveyard at this time of night?" a male voice said from behind Aya's back. Ana screeched and hid behind her sister, who just turned calmly to face the man. He was much taller than the twins, but that was pretty normal, seeing as they were only six years old. The braver twin didn't feel threatened, for she could see that this man held no malicious intent towards them, just curiosity, mild confusion, and slight concern. He was twisting the giant bolt that ran through his skull as if it helped him think. Aya noticed the sutures that ran diagonally down his face, a good hint that Aya and Ana had found the person they had come to see.

"Are you Dr. Franken Stein, the Mad Meister?" Aya asked without hesitation.

"That's right. I've never heard a little kid call me 'The Mad Meister' before," Dr. Stein said with the same nonchalant tone as before, "So, who are you two?"

"My name is Aya, and this..." Aya pulled her sister out from behind her and pointed at her, "Is my twin sister, Ana. We came here looking for you."

Dr. Stein blinked a few times and tilted his head curiously, "Oh? What do you need?"

Aya fished a wrinkled envelope from her pocket and handed it to him. "Our mom gave this to me before she died. She said to give it to you, so here you go."

"Sorry to hear that..." Dr. Stein mumbled as he read the letter from the girls' mother. At first, his brow furrowed in concentration, then his eyes went wide behind his glasses. "WHAT THE-?! Why wasn't I notified of this?!"

"Is something wrong, Dr. Stein?" Aya asked innocently.

His gaze flicked between Ana and Aya, twisting the bolt in his head furiously. "Neither of you have read this, have you?" Both girls shook their heads. Dr. Stein sighed, "Well, come with me. You two will be living with me from now on, seeing as I'm your only relative left, apparently."

"I don't think we could be related to somebody so creepy," Ana whispered to Aya, but Dr. Stein still heard her.

He just chuckled, "Sure you are. Look at yourselves. Both of you look just like me! I'm your father!"

Ana and Aya began living with Dr. Stein, who, both according to their mother's letter and very single test that was run, was their father. Ana was rather apprehensive at first, but soon warmed up to her dad. Aya, on the other hand, took to him almost immediately. As the girls got older, Aya developed to be more like her introverted old man than her bubbly sister did.

Shortly after the twins' eighth birthday, the girls found themselves to both be weapons. Unlike other weapons or even most sibling pairs, they could resonate as well as transform, so they often alternated training as a weapon or meister. As soon as their talents were discovered, their father taught his dear daughters everything he could. The problem was, there was only one important lesson that Dr. Stein could never teach... Social skills.

* * *

 

**Ten Years Later**

"Aya! Get up!" Ana yelled at her twin sister, now sixteen years old, "We need to get to school!"

The grumpy teen pulled the dark blankets up over her head and pressed her pillow into her ears. "I'm not going anywhere, Ana. It's too goddamn early!"

The bubbly girl checked the clock between their beds, "It's seven-thirty, Aya. It's not  _ that _ early." Ana ripped away her sister's blankets and literally dragged her into the kitchen. "Now sit and eat your breakfast. We're leaving in fifteen minutes."

Aya gloomily munched on a piece of toast and stared her twin down. "Would you mind reminding me why we're enrolling at the DWMA this late in the game? We could turn me into a Death Scythe on our own, without the academy, so why are we even bothering? We've already got 67 Kishin souls, and we're definitely ahead academically, so... Why?"

"We've been over this, Aya," Ana groaned, "Papa is enrolling us so that we can meet some kids our age, seeing as there aren't exactly many people living in the graveyard."

"What about-"

"Sid doesn't count, because he's still technically dead."

"Eh, true," Aya conceded. The short conversation died away and was replaced by the uncomfortable sound of toast crunching between Aya's teeth. After a few minutes, it was driving her nuts. "I'm gonna go get dressed," She said quickly as she pushed away from the table.

Ana looked down at her sister's plate, still with nearly half of the food untouched. "But what about your breakfast?" she called after Aya.

"Do what you want with it. I don't want to eat right now." Without another word, Aya pulled the dresser open and rummaged through her clothes, trying to decide what to wear for her very first day attending school. Eventually, she yanked out a her favorite sleeveless shirt, the one made of red, vermillion, orange, and gold fabric all stitched together with the same suture pattern as nearly everything else in the house. Once she threw the shirt on her bed, Aya found a pair of dark blue jeans that she decided to wear as well. Lazily, Aya pulled off her warm, soft pajamas and replaced them with the outfit she had chosen. A pair of plain white socks made their way onto her feet and she shuffled out towards the front door. Aya slipped on the more scuffed-up pair of dark brown boots by the door, yelling to her twin as she ran out, "I'm leaving, Ana! If you don't hurry up, you'll be the late one for once!"

"Huh?! Wait for me!" Ana, dressed in an azure strapless zip-up over a lighter blue tank top and tan shorts, struggled to get her brown boots, identical to Aya's, over her loose purple socks. Once they were secured, she ran to catch up with her twin on the path to the graveyard.

Both girls were quite athletic, as meisters and weapons need to be, so running to the DWMA wasn't difficult. Though slightly winded, the two were laughing when they arrived at their new school.

"It looks like I win again!" Aya proclaimed her victory in the race they had started halfway through Death City.

"You  _ always _ win!" Ana complained, "Can't you let me win every now and again?"

"Nope!" Aya looked up at the huge building, decorated with giant skulls, candles and spikes. She whistled in astonishment, "Damn! That's a pretty big building, isn't it? The design is pretty cool, but I think I like the lab better."

"I think it's creepy here."

"Admiring the architecture, are you?" The twins whipped around at the sound of an unknown boy's voice. A teenager around their age had come up the stairway behind them with a girl on either side of him. "It's a fantastic building, really. It is perfectly symmetrical!" Ana giggled as if she found him funny, but Aya just raised an eyebrow quizzically. The strange boy with the equally strange passion for symmetry seemed to notice. "What? Is there something wrong?"

Aya replied, "Um, well, not really. We've just never met anyone like... Well, yeah. Anyone. Who are you, anyway?"

He smacked his forehead. "I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Death the Kid, and these are my weapons, Liz and Patti Thompson. What are your names?"

Ana pointed at herself then her sister and did her best to introduce themselves, "Um... I'm Ana. This is my twin, Aya."

Aya asked bluntly, "Isn't 'Death the Kid' a bit of a mouthful?"

The shorter Thompson sister, Patti, laughed like a child, "That's why we just call him 'Kid'!"

The other one, Liz, said, "I don't think I've seen you two around before. Are you new to town?"

"Just the school, really. We live on the outskirts of the city, by the graveyard."

"That sounds depressing," Liz shuddered, "Kind of scary too."

Both twins shrugged in reply simultaneously, "It's not that weird. There aren't any ghosts or anything, and the only zombie there is Sid."

"Ghosts and zombies aside," Kid interrupted, "You two should probably head to class. You do know where to go, right?"

"No," Aya said bluntly.

Ana sighed in exasperation, "Sometimes I can't believe we're related. Did you even read the schedule Papa left us?"

"Why would I? I just have to follow you and I'll be fine."

"You're hopeless." Ana pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and scanned for their class. "We're in class Crescent Moon."

"Oh, that helps!" Aya said sarcastically, "Let's just get going, shall we?"

"Liz and Patti and I are actually in that class too. We could walk you there, if you'd like," Kid offered politely. The green-eyed twins glanced at each other and agreed. Kid continually pointed things out, such as the cafeteria, the dispensary, etc. on the way to class. Ana seemed to be listening intently, but Aya had her earbuds in playing music loud enough to drown out Kid's voice. She wasn't trying to be rude and she didn't find him particularly annoying, she just didn't like listening to people talk. That's just how Aya was. She started walking with her eyes closed, but quickly snapped them back open when her sister grabbed her arm, saving her from running into a wall. Aya read Ana's lips, watching her tell Kid that the older twin often ran into things when she zoned out then giggling in a way that Aya didn't have to hear to be annoyed by. Ana's girly behavior was probably the only thing about her twin that she couldn't stand.

Suddenly, Aya's music stopped when Ana yanked her earbuds out. "What?!"

"Kid is trying to talk to you!"

"Why are  _ you _ getting mad?!"

"Because Papa said ignoring people is rude!"

"I'm not ignoring anyone, I just can't hear with my music on!" The twins kept bickering for a good five minutes or so. Kid and Liz kept trying to get them to stop (Patti was just laughing away), but they were tuning everyone out. The Stein sisters only quit their silly little argument when yet another person got involved.

"Aya, Ana, why are you two not in class yet?" The silver-haired sisters froze and turned around, seeing their father directly behind them sitting in his rolling chair.

"We were lost!" Ana lied quickly, "We were just asking Kid here where our classroom was!" The younger twin laughed nervously, a clear indication that she was lying and she knew it was crap.

Dr. Stein sighed, "If you're going to lie, at least make it a good one, Ana. Oh well. Aya, what's your story?"

Aya pointed at her sister and said emotionlessly, "She pulled out my earbuds."

Their father just shook his head sadly at his children's pettiness. "Come on. I'm not having you two be late on your first day." Dr. Stein rolled forward between the girls and grabbed the backs of their shirts or, in Aya's case, jacket, pulling them backward and dragging them behind him. Death the Kid and the Thompsons walked behind the dysfunctional family, not yet realizing that the twins were relatives of the insane teacher.

Liz asked uncomfortably, "So... Do you two already know Professor Stein?"

"Yep," The three said in unison.

"Oh, cool!" Patti said loudly, "How long have you known him?"

Dr. Stein answered instead, "Ana and Aya came to live with me when they were six years old, after their mother died."

"She asked  _ us _ , Dad! Not you!" Aya snapped at her father.

Kid, Liz, and Patti gaped in surprise, " _ DAD?! _ "

"Yeah. He's the one who enrolled us. We need to learn how to interact with other people or something. Personally, I couldn't care much less."

Kid muttered, "I think it's pretty clear which parent you take after..."

The chair slowly came to a stop outside the classroom and Dr. Stein let go of his daughters. "Stand up, you two. I'll be introducing you both to the rest of your classmates, so try to get some of that dust off of you, alright?"

"Fine, fine, whatever you say, Dad." Aya took her jacket off and brushed off the dust she had picked up from the floor then brushed off her sister.

"I can do it myself, Aya!" Ana protested.

"I know you can," Aya replied, "But you're always doing everything for me. Just let me do the little things, like this."

When the twins were satisfactorily brushed off, their father and teacher pushed open the door to the classroom and tried to roll in, but ended up falling instead. Kid, Liz, and Patti pushed past him and quickly scrambled to their seats. "Good morning, everyone," Dr. Stein greeted as he righted himself, "As I mentioned yesterday, there are two new students joining us today. Come on in, girls." Ana and Aya did as instructed and stood in front of their new classmates. The darker-haired twin smiled and waved while the older one fidgeted uncomfortably and looked away. "Introduce yourselves, please."

"My name is Ana!" The bubbly one said brightly, "It's nice to meet all of you!"

The darker twin mumbled, "I'm Aya... Hi..."

"This is the first time either of them has attended school, so treat them well: If you don't, you might be our next dissection project."

The Stein twins took the seats furthest away from the other students, by Aya's will, of course. Before she even had a chance to hear what the day's lecture was about, Aya had her earbuds back in and playing "Witch Hunt" loudly, but not enough for Ana, who was right next to her, to hear. However, it wasn't loud enough to drown out the thought,  _ 'Something tells me... Soon, this place will be very interesting...' _


	2. Chapter 2

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS CRAP?!"

Ana cringed behind her book at her twin's sudden outburst from the other side of the kitchen table. "You're not having trouble with the homework, are you?" Ana sighed as she massaged her temple. "This is seriously easy, Aya."

"I know! That's what I don't get!" The exasperated Stein twin slammed her black pencil down onto her notebook. "We studied this stuff years ago! We were - I don't know - Seven? How are these people just now learning it?"

Ana shrugged, "We're the daughters of the Mad Meister. It's only natural that we're more familiar with the material than the other students."

"That's how you see it? Really?"

"Alright!" Ana conceded, "We should be in a more advanced class! But we're not, so we should just make the best of it and enjoy the easy ride. Now do your homework. I finished in ten minutes, so you'll be done even faster."

"How'dya figure?"

"You're the smart one, remember?" Ana replied, not looking up from the book in her hands, "You're the most like Dad of the two of us, maybe too much for your own good."

"I don't dissect people."

"No, but you've always watched rather intently whenever he brings something home to cut open, ever since we first got here."

"So?" Aya protested indignantly, "I think it's interesting!"

Ana just shook her head and kept reading. "Mark my words, Sis; One of these days, you'll either be the one with the scalpel or under it." Aya just shrugged and put her pencil back to her homework, grumbling about this and that and everything in-between. Just as the younger twin predicted, Aya finished in half the time Ana did. Wordlessly, she pushed away from the table and made a beeline for the fridge. The younger twin suddenly piped up, "So, we've been at school for a week now. Got your eye on anybody?"

"No," Aya immediately replied, "They don't interest me." Her eyes briefly broke away from the cold food to think. "Well, I take that back. Stripes is somewhat interesting."

"Who? We don't have a classmate named 'Stripes.'"

"Symmetry Boy! The one with white stripes in his hair!"

"You mean Death The Kid?" Ana looked away from her book and put a grin on her face that Aya found positively weird. "Yeah, he's cute."

"I said 'somewhat interesting.' Not 'cute,'" Aya said emotionlessly. "Those are two very different things, and it seems one of them only registers for you, Sis."

Ana stared at her only sibling, watching her pick a jar of raspberry jam from the fridge, slide a couple of slices of sourdough bread into the toaster, spreading the jam on its toasted surface and biting down on it with a loud crunch. "You're weird, you know that?"

"Thanks."

"Honestly, we have the exact same DNA, were raised under the same circumstances by the same person, did everything together... How are we so different?"

Aya shrugged with a mouthful of jammy toast, "Dunno. I guess our brains are wired differently." She smiled wolfishly, the red jam on her teeth making her look more menacing. "Should I ask Dad to take a look?"

"Absolutely not!" Ana jumped up and snapped her book shut. "I'm gonna go read in our room. You go dissect something, psycho!"

Aya chuckled as her sister took off for their room, "There's no need to be so harsh!" Still chuckling to herself, Aya fished her music player out of the pocket in the lining of her jacket and plugged the earbuds into her ears. Humming along to "I Can't Decide," she practically bounced over the the nearest bookshelf, plucking a large textbook about the psychology of murderers of the shelf and flinging herself onto the couch. Aya flipped the hard greenish cover open and started reading, thoroughly enjoying her book. Without her noticing, several hours passed. She only realized how much time had passed when she heard the front door slam shut.

"Hi Dad!" the twins both shouted simultaneously. Their differences were pretty extreme sometimes, but it still seemed like they were psychically connected at times.

Dr. Stein shouted from the lab, "Aya! I'm going to start an experiment! Do you want to join in?"

Without missing a beat, Aya snapped the book shut with a loud  _ thump  _ and scurried towards the lab. "I'm coming! Just a sec!"

Clothes covered by aprons and gloves, the two Steins stood between a pair of steel tables, each one dismantling a mid-sized dog. Undisturbed by the blood and the smell (which really wasn't that bad, according to either of them,) they quickly finished, each limb and organ neatly laid out.

"Now what, Dad?" Aya asked, still not knowing what they were doing with a couple of dead dogs.

"Now," her father instructed, "We sew them back together, only we're mixing up the parts."

"Like putting a leg or two from my dog onto yours and visa-versa?"

"Exactly. Then we'll reanimate them and see if it works."

Aya's eyes lit up at the concept. "Zombie patchwork dogs! I love it!" The pair started switching dog parts and sewed them together until they each had their own patchwork canine cadaver. After a once-over to be sure everything was lined up properly, Dr. Stein hooked each body up to one of the obscure machines in his lab. This particular one was actually the same one he'd used to reanimate Sid, so both Steins were sure that this part of the experiment would work.

The machine whirred to life, arcs of electricity shooting into the cadavers and nearby bits of metal that were placed specifically to prevent anyone else from being electrocuted. The dead dogs spasmed erratically until the flashing stopped. For a moment, it looked like nothing had happened. Then, one of the dogs started to whine, and they both stood up gingerly, clearly and understandably disoriented.

"It worked!" Aya cheered. "Ana! Get in here! You've gotta see this!"

"Just a minute, Aya!" Ana trudged into the lab, wary of whatever her twin was so excited about. "Alright, what did you two do this time?"

"Come see!" Aya dragged her sister over to the tables where their father was examining the dogs, who seemed pretty content, despite having just been dismembered then brought back to life. Their mismatched tails beat happily on the tables beneath them.

"Oh no, what did you do to the poor things?!"

"What's with the tone? You make it sound like we killed them!"

"Did you?"

"Don't be silly, Ana," Aya chided, "We brought them  _ back _ to life."

"Are you done bickering, girls?" Dr. Stein interrupted the twins, "If you are, your new pets need some names." The girls turned towards their father, one excited and the other somewhat appalled.

"New pets?"

"Those monstrosities?!"

"Consider them a late birthday present," Dr. Stein told them, "You've been asking to have pets for years, so here you go! A pair of loyal companions!"

" _ Dead _ loyal companions," Ana muttered.

"Who cares? They're perfect!" The larger of the two zombie canines jumped off of the table and padded towards Aya. It sniffed her hand and nuzzled the side of her knee. "Hello there! Aren't you a beauty!" she knelt down and looked into the dog's eyes. One eye was a rich chocolate brown and the other a clear sky blue. Thick reddish fur covered its head all the way from its brown nose to its neck, alternating from there in patches of dark grey and white and more patches of russet. "Such a pretty boy, you are. I'm gonna call you Corpus. You like that name, boy?" Aya scratched behind the dog's ear, grinning from ear to ear.

The second, smaller dog made its way to Ana, much more timidly than Corpus had done to Aya. The younger twin eyed the dog sitting at her feet, constantly staring at the sutures all over its body. The nameless dog stared back, its dark brown eyes set into soft fur ranging from near-black to white. The upper half of its head was a stormy black-grey, interrupted only by a stark white cross shape decorating its forehead.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Ana snapped at the dog, who whimpered and lowered its head.

"Ana!" Aya hissed, "Don't talk to your dog like that!"

" _ My _ dog? You take it! I don't want a dead pet!"

"You... You're... You can be such a child!" Aya yelled, one of the few times in her entire life, "You're always so petty and superficial! That dog is as alive as any other, and needs the same love and attention you'd give a regular pet! If you won't give it, then I will, but don't you dare show even the tiniest hint of hatred towards my dogs!"

"Fine! You take care of your dead dogs, you psycho, necro-freak!" Ana yelled back, "Keep your grotesque experiments! Only you would want them, anyway!" Ana whirled out of the room with a huff, never missing an opportunity for drama.

Aya petted the frazzled canines, soothing them. "It's okay. She just can't understand you two. It'll be okay." Corpus licked his new master's cheek, as did the nameless dog. Aya traced the cross on his forehead, running names through her mind. "Let's call you Saint. Yeah, I like that name."

Saint licked Aya's other cheek, seemingly in approval of his new name.

Dr. Stein watched his daughter play with her new dogs, his smile hidden behind his arms, crossed over the back of his chair. Sure, he was disappointed that Ana didn't like the dogs, but Aya's display of joy more than made up for it. Without her knowledge, her father was not only watching her interacting with her new pets, but he was also watching their souls, noting how they reacted to each other. Without even trying, his prodigal daughter had managed to resonate with the souls of two undead animals, and she didn't even know it.

_ How interesting... _


	3. Chapter 3

The twins had been fighting nonstop for a fortnight. Ever since the dogs were reanimated, the two bickered and harassed each other over every tiny thing that they did. Pretty soon, they couldn't be in the same room without breaking into a massive argument. Not surprisingly, they couldn't resonate anymore, and likely wouldn't in the foreseeable future.

During their midday break, Ana, Aya, and several other students opted to stay in the classroom rather than wander the halls. Ana stood down near the front, socialising with Death the Kid, Liz, and Patty. Aya, on the other hand, was way up in the top corner, as far away from everyone else as possible. She was watching her sister out of the corner of her eye, flirting with Kid and batting her eyelashes like an idiot. She rolled her eyes and turned to look out the window instead, scratching Saint and Corpus behind their ears as a reward for being so well behaved throughout the day. One of the perks of having her own dad as her teacher was that Aya was allowed to bring her pets to class, as long as they didn't cause problems, and they didn't. Corpus and Saint stayed contentedly under the table at their master's feet, all day, every day.

Aya spotted Maka Albarn and her weapon, Soul out on one of the many balconies decorating the DWMA. From watching them, she knew that they argued often and got on each other's nerves, but somehow, they still resonated, and well.  _ Maybe some people are just destined to be together, I guess, _ she thought over her loud music,  _ and maybe some aren't. _ The image of Ana giggling and flirting flashed through Aya's mind, making her grimace. _ I'm shocked I ever managed to resonate with her _ . Suddenly, a thought popped into her head.  _ I need to get a new partner _ . The twins weren't able to resonate anymore. They'd slipped too far. If the two of them tried going on a mission together, they'd fail horribly, probably before even finding their target, with how much they fought now. Then again, Aya was a weapon, but she could act as a meister as well. She was a skilled fighter, so maybe she could do it on her own. _ Nah, I don't need a meister, and I definitely don't need a weapon. It's Ana that needs a partner, with how useless she is. Maybe I should ask Dad about going solo? _

She got up from her seat, choosing to go find her father instead of waiting for him in the classroom. As she passed her sister, Aya thought she heard her name. She removed one of her earbuds to hear if someone was calling her, which Ana certainly wasn't.

"Aya is so mean to me!" she complained in a shallow tone that made Aya's ears ache, "She's always telling me 'You're doing it wrong,' or 'You're such an idiot,' or trying to take over." Kid, Liz and Patty noticed Aya over Ana's shoulder, and tried to discreetly signal Ana to be quiet. "She's a control freak, really. Whenever we're fighting kishins, she always takes over the whole thing and makes me be the weapon, even though I'm supposed to be her meister!"

"Yeah, and meisters are supposed to be able to actually hit the target!" Aya snapped from behind, startling Ana. "It sounds like you didn't intend to mention how you can't even actually use me as a weapon, no matter which form I'm in! Scythe, sword, pistol, Hammer, anything! Even when we could resonate, you were so incapable that you'd have gotten us killed, so excuse me for not letting us both die!" Aya stormed off angrily, darkly satisfied with the dumb, carp-like gaping Ana was left with. For all her holier-than-Aya attitude, she never could beat her sister, even when it came to simply out-sassing each other. Aya turned around quickly to make one more jab. "And by the way, since we can't resonate anymore and you're a useless, insufferable brat anyway, you can go find yourself a new weapon, or maybe a new meister. Or better yet, just leave the DWMA and go to a normal school. You're as useless as the rest of them anyway!" An audible gasp resounded through the room. Partnerships at the DWMA rarely ended, so such a harsh break-up was sure to be the talk of the school for a while.  _ Great. A scene. Just what I needed. _

"You... you... You can't just ditch me like that!" Ana cried, "You just can't!"

Annoyed by Ana's pathetic crying, Aya snapped, "Oh really? Watch me. And honestly, stop crying! Just a few seconds ago, it sounded like you couldn't wait to get rid of me, so pull yourself together, you weak, hypocritical brat!"

"What did you just call me?!" Ana stomped over and shoved her sister square in the chest. "I dare you to say it again!"

Aya narrowed her green eyes, accepting the challenge. "You're a weak, stupid, hypocritical brat who can't do anything without her precious partner, a partner that she talks shit about behind her back!" Aya shoved her sister in return, harder than Ana had. The observing students could sense the rising tension, and most could see the violent turn the argument was taking. After a few more shoves, a couple of pokes, and quite an impressive show of colourful language on Aya's part, Ana finally placed the straw that broke the camel's back.

"You know what? Fine! I don't want to be your partner either! I hate you! You're a disturbed, insane, psychopathic necro-freak! I wish I were an only child!"

Aya was silent for a moment. She hung her head and her face was obscured by her silver hair. She spoke calmly at first, "You wish you were an only child..." She raised her head and glared directly into her twin's eyes. "I'm happy to oblige!"

A loud crack sounded throughout the room. Aya's first strike sent Ana flying across the room. Her movement had been so quick, nobody saw until after Ana was already sprawled out on the floor, groaning over her cracked ribs. "Get up," Aya demanded, one fist still extended and crackling green with her soul wavelength. "Show your friends that you're more than just talk."

Ana stood up slowly, hindered by the sharp pains in her torso. "That was dirty!"

"Those who fight clean rarely win," Aya replied coldly. The ice in her voice sent chills down everyone's spine. "Now fight." Ana's fist connected with Aya, hitting her in the middle of her solar plexus. But Aya didn't even flinch. "Is that really all you can do? The solar plexus is one of the weakest parts of the body, and you can't even make me move? You're pathetic." She kneed Ana in the stomach, dropping her to her knees. Aya picked her up by her collar and, much to the shock and horror of their classmates, threw her ten feet into the chalkboard, which almost completely shattered from the impact. Aya climbed over the desk, either oblivious or uncaring of the papers that scattered beneath her.

"Please, stop this!" One of the female students shouted as Aya kicked and stomped on her sister. Her calmness was terrifying. There was no scowl, no psychotic grin, no fury or joy. Shocked and terrified sobs echoed throughout the room from some of the girls, the only other sound being the sound of Ana being broken even further. There had never been a fight like this at the DWMA: Short, brutal, and dangerously one-sided.

Nobody had noticed Death the Kid leave the room, but they all noticed him return with Dr. Stein at his heels. Kid grabbed Aya without hesitation and tried pulling her away with all of his strength. He pulled as hard as he could, but she hardly moved back at all.  _ How is she so strong?! Normal people can't do this! _ Kid held on tighter and kept pulling back as Aya struggled angrily to get at her sister.  _ Aya's always seems so calm! I never thought she'd go nuts like this! _

While Kid struggled to restrain Aya, Dr. Stein checked on Ana, who was barely conscious and badly beaten. "Ana, can you move at all?" Ana only managed to groan. "Alright. I'm going to take you to the nurse's office, alright?" Dr. Stein picked up his daughter as carefully as he could, but she still whimpered in pain. He ran as fast as he could without hurting her with his thoughts running at a thousand miles per hour.  _ Aya did this? Impossible. It couldn't have been! But I saw it. But... Aya... It couldn't have been, but it was. I don't understand! _

* * *

 

Back in the classroom, Aya continued to struggle against Kid, trying to get to Ana. "Let me go! Let me go, you bastard!" Aya was still under the influence of whatever her brain had done to make her this way, but she was gradually calming down now that the target of her anger was gone. "Let me... Let me go..." The mad fire in her eyes went out and a look of horror spread across Aya's face. "Oh god... What did I just do? Oh god!" Her legs collapsed and she fell to the floor, dragging Kid with her. He was afraid to let her go, unsure if she would go mad again, but it felt like the madness in her was gone for the time being. Even so, he kept his hold on her. Antisocial as she was, she probably needed someone to comfort her right now.

"Aya, it's okay. You're okay," he said as gently as he could, "You're okay."

"But Ana... What I did to Ana... I was angry, but I wouldn't... I couldn't... That's not me!" She started shouting repeatedly, "That's not me! That's not me! That's not me! THAT"S NOT ME!"

Kid looked around the room. Everyone was staring and whispering. They were scared of her. After what just happened, who wouldn't be?  _ Even I'm a bit freaked out. Still, she needs help. _ "Aya, let's go. Let's find somewhere nice and quiet, okay?" Kid pulled her gently to her feet and led her out of the room. "Somewhere nice and quiet where nobody can bother you. Come on." She didn't really respond. She just went along with him, looking shell-shocked and shaking. Even so, Aya didn't cry. Not even a little. She couldn't.

Kid guided his catatonic classmate around the halls, making sure she didn't run into anything and signalling for anyone else wandering around to stay away. He knew of a classroom in the basement that weapon-meister groups frequently used for training, but it had been closed for a while. Nobody would be in there. He led Aya inside and sat her down against the wall. He sat next to her, but had no idea what to do or say. This wasn't something he knew how to handle.

After a few minutes of silence, Aya whispered, "You think I'm insane." There was no accusation in her voice. Instead, she just sounded sad and drained.

He didn't want to upset her more, so he tried to deny it, "No, I-"

"Don't lie to me, Kid," she demanded quietly, "I hate lying. I hate it when other people lie. Lying makes everything complicated, and it makes their souls shake."

Aya's comment surprised Kid. "What do you mean, they shake?"

"I can see them. When people lie, their souls shake like they're afraid. If they're afraid, they should just tell the truth." Kid was stunned. He'd only ever heard of meisters possessing soul perception abilities, and just basic perception was rare. Such advanced abilities in a weapon was unheard of. "You're impressed."

"It's that obvious?"

"To me. Your soul pulsed. That means you're impressed or surprised."

Kid laughed, "Well, I'd say I'm both! I've never met a weapon who could see souls, let alone as well as you can. I think even your dad isn't that good." Though it was unintentional, the conversation helped Aya distract herself from the incident that led her here. Away from judging eyes that wouldn't let her forget for a moment, she quickly relaxed. With his own soul perception, Kid could see the tension in her soul disappear, much to his liking. He took the opportunity to read her soul, and try to understand her a bit more.

Her soul was massive. That was the first thing he noticed. It was huge and strong, though there were spots that flickered as if out of uncertainty. Aya's soul glowed a rich, vibrant green, similar to the mossy colour of her eyes. A long, thick line of sutures ran diagonally through the middle, splitting it evenly in half. Not so much by looking, but rather by feeling, he started to understand her personality a bit more. To him, she had never seemed like a bad person, but she didn't seem to care about anything or anyone. It had looked like the world was irrelevant to her. She had seemed prideful and arrogant, harsh and rude. When he felt her wavelength, he realised he had completely misjudged her. Aya could be abrasive, true enough, but he could see that she was like that simply because she didn't understand other people. She was stubborn, intelligent, and incredibly loyal. Additionally, she was lonely, but she didn't acknowledge it because she didn't know what that meant. It was remarkable to him how similar the twins actually were. He'd looked at Ana's soul to see what she was like, and though hers was small and pale blue instead of her sister's massive green soul, their personalities were incredibly similar, but expressed so differently. Neither understood other people, but while Ana became overly social and happy to compensate, Aya became cold and distant. Both girls were stubborn, he could see, but they had their differences too. Ana wasn't as smart as her sister, and Aya was much more loyal. He could understand why they split up now. Their souls were similar, but that was part of the problem. The way they expressed those similar traits were opposites, and when coupled with incompatible differences, their partnership was bound to fail eventually.

"Like what you see?" She asked, "I know you're looking at my soul. Do you like it?"

Kid suddenly felt awkward, like he'd invaded her privacy. "Oh, um... It's a good soul. Strong. It's beautiful."

Aya smiled. "Nobody's ever said anything about me is beautiful before. Thank you, Kid. Really." They were quiet again for a while, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was just a moment of peace. "She likes you, you know," Aya blurted suddenly.

"Who does?"

"My sister. She's obsessed with you."

"Oh, you meant Ana. Yeah, I figured as much," Kid replied, "She's nice enough, but she's a bit clingy." Aya snickered. "What?"

"I just realised something," she grinned, "Ana would probably curl up and die if she saw this. The sister she hates alone in a room with the boy she likes who doesn't like her back. Ha!" Aya leaned her head back against the wall. "I would say she would hate me even more, but I guess that really isn't possible now." She hid her face, reeling from what she'd done. "I can't believe I actually did that. I'll yell at her, sure, but that... I don't know what got into me."

Kid found himself feeling bad for Aya. She didn't understand what happened any more than anyone else did, but the incident would undoubtedly result in her being shunned by the rest of the class. Maybe the whole school, if people got to talking. Aya wouldn't be able to find a new partner or even make friends with that kind of reputation. "You were angry," Kid rationalised, "You may not always get along, but you love Ana. It must've hurt having her say that stuff to you. People do things they regret when they're upset."

"You're not seriously saying I was in the right, are you?"

"Well, no. You did take it too far. But Ana wasn't in the right either. She was talking crap about you behind your back, which was wrong. You got upset, which is perfectly natural. It also wasn't right for her to say some of the things she did, but you were wrong to attack her. Maybe try walking home together after school and talking things through properly. I think that might help you both."

Aya smiled and sighed, "Yeah, maybe it will. Thanks, Kid. Looks like we both misjudged each other."

"How so?"

"Well, you thought I was an uncaring, arrogant jerk, didn't you? I figured you were a stuck-up, snobby rich kid," Aya said matter-of-factly. She pushed herself up off the ground and held a hand out to Kid. "Come on. Ana's in the nurse's office, right? I should probably get over there before they set a K-9 unit on me." Kid grabbed the extended hand, pulled himself up, and brushed the dust off of his black pants. "I hope you don't mind taking me there, because I've got no idea where the hell we are."

* * *

 

Much to nobody's surprise, Aya got a lecture from just about everyone she knew. First her father, then nurse Medusa, then Sid, and Lord Death himself was going to have a talk with her the next morning. "Ugh... He's going to confiscate all the souls I've collected, I'm sure of it! I don't want to start over!" By the time the lectures were over, the sun had set. It had taken effort, but Ana eventually left the nurse's office, though she continued to insist that she should be staying there to treat her injuries. However, by some miracle, she only wound up with a few badly cracked ribs.

The twins walked for twenty minutes through Death City in uncomfortable silence. The tension could've been cut with a butter knife. "I haven't changed my mind about splitting," Aya finally said, "We're not compatible. You should find a new partner."

"Agreed," Ana replied stiffly. "It's your loss. I'm a great partner, no matter what I'm doing."

Aya groaned, "Ana, please! Be honest with yourself! You can't fight well as a meister, and as a weapon, you aren't much good either."

"Whaddya mean! I'm a great weapon!"

"Ana, you're a two-foot long metal rod."

"Yeah, so? Just stick 'em with the pointy end!"

"You don't  _ have _ a pointy end!" Something a few blocks over caught Aya's attention. "Hold up a sec. Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Of course Ana couldn't feel it. She didn't have soul perception at all.

"I'm not quite sure. Something's not right." Aya let her eyes do the work. She could see three souls a short way off. One was a normal person, and the other two were a weapon-meister pair that she couldn't recognise. "Over there. There's three people. But something-" Then she saw it. A tiny flicker in the human soul. Imperceptible to almost anyone else, but she saw it. "Witch!" Aya dashed towards the witch soul, knowing it was a foolish idea.

"Aya, wait!" Ana called,"We can't fight a witch! Neither of us are strong enough! Even together we couldn't have done it! We should get Papa!"

_ She's right, _ Aya agreed in her mind,  _ I can't take on a witch, and she can't either. What am I doing? _ "I can't sit by and do nothing!" Ana chased her sister, hoping to catch her before she did something truly stupid. Aya dashed around the last corner and came face-to-face with the souls she'd spotted. Only... it couldn't have been. All she saw was a skinny, pink-haired boy (or maybe a girl) in a dress talking to the school nurse. It couldn't have been right, but it was, and she knew it deep down. "Nurse Medusa, what are you doing out here?” Aya asked nonchalantly, catching the pair by surprise, "I thought you were still at the school."

Ana caught up to her sister, but was out of breath. "Aya..." she gasped, "Are you...a complete idiot... Haa..." She looked up and smiled weakly at the nurse. "Oh, hi nurse Medusa!" Ana whispered to her sister, "I thought you said there was a witch."

"Shut up, Ana!" Aya hissed, not seeing Medusa's eyes narrow maliciously, "It's her!"

"Good evening, girls," Medusa crooned, sending chills down Aya's spine, "I was just on my way home. And you? I'd have thought you'd be in your own home by now."

"We live by the graveyard outside of town, remember?"

"Oh, that's right. How silly of me to forget. You've got quite a walk, then. You should get going."

"Yeah, we should..." Aya said suspiciously, "Let's go, Ana." The twins walked away, but before they'd cleared the alleyway, a sharp tingle of energy prickled up Aya's neck. She glanced behind just fast enough to push Ana out of the way of danger.

At first, she didn't realise she was in pain. At first, she didn't realise she'd screamed. Aya just knew that she was lying face-first on the ground in a puddle.  _ That's odd... It hasn't rained recently... _ She went to get up, but fell over back into the puddle. The gleaming, bright red puddle.  _ Hold up, that's... Why won't my arm move?! _ Then she came to her senses. The pain kicked in. Aya grabbed at her arm... But there was nothing to grab. She looked up and saw her own right arm lying limp a metre away in another pool of red. Aya looked at her sister in fear. "Ana, run!"

"I can't leave you here!"

"GO!" The forcefulness of Aya's order was enough to get Ana to flee, but she couldn't run fast enough. Aya watched in horror as the black arrows flew closer and closer. Time seemed to slow down for a moment. As the tip of one arrow approached her eye, she couldn't move away.  _ I'm going to die. Oh god, I'm going to die. Ana's going to die. This is all my fault. If I hadn't come here... If I'd just walked away... Oh god! _

And the world vanished.


	4. Chapter 4

It is impossible to truly describe what happened to the twins. Human words cannot come close to interpreting the intense nothing that was everything. Or perhaps the everything that was nothing? Aya didn't wake up, and she didn't open her eyes. She simply began to exist in this tiny vastness that spread out around her. _ What is this? _ She tried to think, and though she knew that was what she was thinking, what it sounded like was something entirely different. An unwritable language she'd never heard. Actually, the simple thought became a language that wasn't even words, but feelings. Indecipherable feelings.

At her side was Ana, who was going through a similar experience, discovering this strange new Other. The twins looked at each other, surprised and relieved to see the other standing there. They looked solid, yet they felt that if they touched each other they would simply phase through. And though they knew who the other was, something was different. They looked the same, but not, as if it was another version or a projection created by the Other. Did they actually have the form they saw? The twins weren't sure. Were they in any form at all? Did they exist? Was what they saw real? The twins seemed to mirror each other perfectly, each one with loose silver hair, pale, unmarred skin and a plain white gown, but was that reality? Perhaps it was a dream. Or maybe it was some bizarre combination of both.

Rather than talking, the twins felt what the other was thinking.  _ Where are we? _ one of them thought, though neither was sure who thought it first.

_ I'm not sure. What do you think this place is? _

_ I've never seen anything like it before. How did we get here? _

_ I...I can't remember. What happened to us? _

_ I can't remember either. Are we alone? _

_ I don't know. There's something odd about this place. It's so peaceful. It doesn't even feel like we're in the same world anymore. _

A thought that didn't belong to either twin swept through the Other, sending invisible ripples throughout the infinite world.  _ Aya... Ana... Come to me... Come to me... _ Aya recognised the energy, the specific soul wavelength, though Ana could not.

_ It can't be... _ Aya thought,  _ There's no way! _ A path formed on the colourless sea they stood on, guiding Aya as she ran towards the source of the thought. Ana followed, marvelling in the uncanny contradictions around them. A solid sea of every colour, that at the same time had no colour at all. A tiny, infinite sky that she couldn't see. Everything and nothing around her all at once. What was this?

_ Aya, where are we going? Who's out there? _

It seemed like the Other itself answered. Through the clear fog, a figure became visible. It was a woman, and she faced away from the approaching twins. As they got closer, they could see the details of the beautiful black lace cloak draping over her head and shoulders. She turned slowly. She was tall, slender, and gorgeous. From under her lace hood tumbled long, shiny curls of dark brown hair and reddish brown eyes glittered against pale skin. Layers of black lace and silk formed a long, elegant dress that seemed truly otherworldly. She reached out with both arms, ready to receive the sisters.

Aya crashed into the woman, spectral, crystalline tears falling from her cheeks into the sea below. She clutched her as if the beautiful figure would disappear and openly wept for the first time ever. The woman gently embraced her, radiating soft waves of soothing energy.

_ Aya... You've grown so beautiful. You're both so beautiful. Aya... Ana... I've missed you so much, my darlings. _

_ MOTHER! _ Aya sent out a crushing wave of love, sorrow, joy and despair, a whole blizzard of emotions out of being reunited with her lost mother. Ana had no memory of her at all, but couldn't help but join the embrace as well.

_ Mother? Is that really you? _

_ Yes, it really is, my dear child. _ The twins had never felt their mother's embrace, and in the Other, in the mix of all of their emotions, it was the warmest, most loving, wonderful thing the girls had ever experienced.  _ Oh, how I've wanted to see you. I wish I could've been there to watch you grow up, to raise you, to give you the love you both deserve. _

_ Mother... _ Aya continued sobbing, unable to let go of their mother. _ I missed you. It was so hard without you! We were so lonely! _

_ Did your father not treat you well? _

_ No, _ Aya thought,  _ He's great. He loves us. But... We needed you, Mother! It was you we needed the most! _

_ I know, Aya. I know, and I'm so sorry. I wish I could've been there for you. But now... Look at me, my dear. _ Their mother lifted Aya's face and looked into her eyes.  _ Now, we can be together forever. _

_ Forever? _ Ana thought, remembering something,  _ But Mother, I thought you... You're dead, aren't you? You died when we were babies. _

Their mother smiled sorrowfully.  _ Everyone dies eventually, Ana. My time came many years ago. Now, it's your turn. _

Aya stopped crying abruptly.  _ Wait... We're dead? Me and Ana... We died? We're not alive anymore? _

_ That's right, darling. You're no longer in the world of the living. _

Aya pulled away from her mother, much to her own internal pain.  _ But... I don't wanna be dead. I want to be alive! I'm not ready to die! _

_ It's not up to you, sweetheart. If I could've chosen, I would've chosen to live too, but that's not how it works. _

_ To hell with that! I don't want to leave Dad behind! He needs me and Ana! And you, Ana, what about your friends? What about Kid? You like him, right? You can't just leave all that behind! _

Ana wasn't sure. Yeah, she was afraid of death, but now that she was here, it wasn't all that bad. She was with her mother, who she'd missed but never known her whole life. This world was peaceful and gentle, and she could spend eternity with her family. Everything in the world of the living seemed so trivial now. The fight with Aya, her attempts to impress and please everyone at school, making a Death Scythe... It all seemed so silly now. Everything in that world was temporary. But this world... It was forever. Maybe this was what really mattered.

_ Ana? _

_ I think... I think I want to stay here, Aya. I like it here. The world of the living is harsh and cruel and downright terrifying. This place is peaceful, and we could be together forever, just like Mother said! Wouldn't that be great? _

Not to Aya.  _ No! What good is forever when nothing changes? I'd rather go back and be in that terrifying, cruel world because you know what? It's beautiful. It's cruel and unforgiving, and oh, so beautiful! There's good, there's evil, knowledge and ignorance, love and hate, and it's always changing. There's always something new. New people. New missions. New things to learn. New things to experience. I can't leave that behind. I won't! I'm not done yet! _ The Other responded to the strength of her emotions. Her declaration of refusal shook the infinite world to its roots and ripped open a gash in the fabric of the world. A gateway materialised over the gash, beckoning and leading her back to the world of the living.

_ Aya! You can't go! _ Their mother warned,  _ For someone who's died to return to the world of the living... It goes against the laws of everything! You'd be nothing but a lost soul! You'd be trapped there forever, never able to rest or move on! Is that what you want? _

_ Mother... Ana... I love you both. But I can't stay in a stagnant world like this. It would be Hell for me. Yes, I would rather be a lost soul forever in the world of the living than be trapped here in an unchanging universe. I'm sorry. Really. I love you, but I just can't stay with you _ . Aya embraced her beloved mother and sister for the last time, giving them both a farewell kiss on the cheek.  _ I love you. Never forget that. I love you both, and I'll miss you, always. _

Aya turned and walked toward the gate, stopping in front of it for a moment. It was remarkably plain, just a pair of huge floating stone slabs engraved with strange symbols.  _ Well, this is it. _ The doors swung open of their own accord. The energy that came flowing out was immense. Aya knew that once she stepped inside, she would have to fight through a swirling tide of power unknown to anyone else. If she succeeded, she would arrive back in the world of the living. If she failed, she would likely be swept away and dissolve, becoming part of that power forever. If she did make it through, though, would she be different? Exposure to something like that had to change a soul.  _ I guess I'll find out _ . A long, black tendril in the shape of an arm reached out of the gate. Aya took hold of the small hand and a jolt of energy ran through her.  _ Incredible... _ More hands reached out and grabbed her before starting to pull her in.

_ Wait! Aya! _ Ana cried out. Aya looked back to see her twin running toward her with her arm outstretched.  _ Don't go! AYA! _ Ana grabbed hold of Aya's hand before she was all the way inside, but the doors began to close. She tried to pull her sister out, but couldn't.  _ AYAAA! _ One last cry was all Aya heard before the door shut on Ana, cutting off a portion of her soul, and stealing away her sister forever.

* * *

 

Around 8:20 in the evening, Dr. Stein was still in his office at the DWMA. There was a knock on the door, and in walked his old weapon partner, Spirit Albarn, a.k.a "Death Scythe." His grim expression gave Stein a sense that something was extremely wrong.

"What's wrong, Spirit? You don't usually look this serious."

"There's been an incident in town," the reported, "We need you down at the scene immediately."

"When you say an 'incident'-"

"Murder." Stein's eyes widened behind his thick spectacles. Murder, was it? In Death City? Somebody was looking for trouble.

"Who was the victim?"

"That's one of the things we need you for. We don't know." Spirit continued, "I haven't been down there yet, but I was told it was pretty grisly. Even you might be disturbed by it. Let's get going."

Spirit was wrong. Grisly didn't even begin to describe the mess in the alleyway. Normally dark, the scene was all lit up, showing the extent of the carnage. Blood was splattered everywhere and body bits were scattered all over the ground. Much like the playboy had said, even Dr. Stein found the mess disturbing.

"This is all one body?" He was shocked. There was so much blood and gore, it was hard to believe there was only one victim.

"Maybe. Everything's so butchered, nobody can tell," Spirit said, looking away from the scene and trying to avoid vomiting, "There's only one easily identifiable part left, and it's just an arm. Everything else is almost too cut-up to know what it is."

Dr. Stein stepped around the barricades into the scene. It was true, everything just looked like chunks of flesh, little more. Here and there were scraps of bloody fabric that were once clothes and there were thick strands of blood-soaked hair lying in puddles of dark, sticky red, but those wouldn't be of much use. Stein found the arm Spirit had mentioned after carefully searching the area. There was carnage covering every inch of the place, and the police hadn't finished documenting the scene yet, so he didn't dare move or touch anything. When he got to the arm, he examined it as thoroughly as he could without touching it. It looked to have been severed near the centre of the upper arm, and the cut was impossibly smooth. There was no tearing consistent with a blade, just a perfectly smooth surface. The entire arm still had a sleeve on it, which was bloody and dark. Still, when he looked closely, he noticed a distinct pattern that made his heart stop and his blood run cold.

The thick navy-blue band that ran around the elbow connected by that familiar suture pattern... He'd been there while his daughter made this jacket. Aya had stitched it by hand when she was thirteen and had worn it almost every day since. Dr. Stein prayed to whatever god would listen that this wasn't his daughter, but when he looked closer, he knew beyond any doubt that this arm belonged to Aya. There was a small, faded scar across the pad of her thumb from when she was eight and occidentally cut herself on a scalpel she hadn't seen in a pen jar. He remembered that scar, and he felt his heart shatter upon discovering that Aya was dead. Aya and Ana were together when this happened, he realised,  _ That means... No, god, they're both... No, please, no! _ But he knew it was true. The only things in the whole world he'd ever loved, his two daughters, were gone. Ripped away in the blink of an eye, and in such a horrible way.

He couldn't let it end like this. He couldn't just accept it. Dr. Stein had just been robbed of his children, and when something of his was stolen, he'd go to the end of the earth to get it back.

"Take everything here to my lab, now!" He demanded, startling everybody present. _ I can do something about this, _ he told himself while fighting off hysterics,  _ I can save them! _

* * *

 

Aya could see the path. A glowing green trail made of her own soul energy guided her through the swirling, rushing currents and torrential energy that bombarded her from every direction. She was completely enveloped by colours, by sounds, by information, by faces and voices and energy beyond anything she'd ever thought possible. It felt like she was being crushed, blown up, and swallowed all at once, and the feeling was incredible and terrifying.

_ I can't give in! _ She fought against the power of this strange place,  _ I must fight it! I have to get back! I can do it! I'm strong enough! _ She pushed further and further through the tide, struggling against the everything around her that grew stronger with each step. It all battered against her consciousness, her very soul, filling her mind with pictures and thoughts and sounds and things she now knew but had never learned or seen. She had no idea what this was, apart from Everything. It was everything, and it was nothing, she came to realise. Some bizarre, unknown space between worlds. She did not stop pushing forward, but her thoughts surged at her budding epiphany. At that moment, she was part of everything, yet she was separate from any world and so she was a part of nothing. She was the one being known as Aya Stein, and she was all other things as well. She was the world. She had all the power in the universe because the universe and her were one and the same and entirely separate, and the feeling was amazing.

Out of the tide of Everything, a pinprick of light appeared. Not one of the flashes of information flowing around, no, it was a steady white light, like a single tiny holiday light glowing brighter and brighter. It was the end of her journey, Aya knew, the end of the path. The way back to the world of he living. She got closer, and the inside of the stone gate doors became visible.  _ I'm almost there! _ Her mind cried out in joy,  _ I'm almost back! _ She pushed the huge doors open, reaching for the beautiful, cruel world beyond it.

 

Bright lights flared in Aya's eyes. The whirring of computers and machines made her ears ache, and her body felt oddly numb. She tried to move, but found it more difficult than she expected. "Hello?" she whispered, since that was all she could manage, "Is anyone there?" Nobody responded, so she assumed she was alone. But just where was she?

Aya looked around, although she couldn't move her head much. On the ceiling, she saw a few lines of huge sutures, and she knew she was home. She relaxed a bit. She was home. She was safe. It was all okay.

_ Wait... No, it's not, _ her mind told her,  _ Didn't something happen? How did I get here? I don't remember actually getting back. I was with Ana after school... We were coming home... Oh, that's right. We got murdered. _ Aya's eyelids almost ripped, she opened them so wide.  _ Murdered?! What the- Who? What? What am I doing here, then? Am I dead? What's happening? That can't be right! _ In her panic, Aya managed the strength to sit up and prop herself up against the wall. Now, she could see that she was in the lab, the room she was oh-so-familiar with. She'd been lying on a hospital bed, and was hooked up to IVs and all kinds of machines.  _ Christ. What the hell happened to me? _

She slid her feet down to the floor and tried to stand, but nearly fell. Aya managed to grab the IV stand for support and wheel it around with her. She tried walking away, but got yanked back by all of the monitor wires. "Screw that," she muttered and tore all of them out from under her bandages. Only then did she notice just how many she had. She was almost completely covered in gauzy wraps. She had a pair of white shorts, but everything else was sufficiently covered by the bandages alone to not really need any more clothes than that. Still, she felt exposed, and searched for something else to wear.

She spotted her lab coat hung up in the corner. Perfect. The monitors behind her beeped in alarm as she shuffled and stumbled toward her goal.  _ Ugh. This is difficult. _ She was running very low on breath and was already starting to sweat from the effort.  _ Why is this so hard? _ From the other side of the room, she heard barking. Aya turned her head and grinned when she saw Corpus and Saint running for her with their tails wagging. They didn't tackle or jump up on her, much to Aya's relief, but they nuzzled at their master and whined happily.

"Aww... Hey, you two," Aya petted their patchwork heads, "You were worried about me, weren't you? Those're my good boys!" Aya pulled her coat off its peg and struggled to get it over her arms and shoulders without falling. The inability to stand on her own combined with a confusing lack of coordination made the task extremely difficult. "Oh, come on, this is ridiculous!"

She was still trying to get the lab coat on when the door flew open and her father rushed into the room in a panic. She'd never seen him like that before. He had always been so calm and collected all the time, just like her. He looked over at the monitors by the bed, seeming confused for a second. Then, regaining his bearings, looked around and spotted Aya, and a truly happy grin broke out over his face.

"You're awake!" Dr. Stein cheered and hugged her, "Thank god! Oh, thank god you're awake!"

"Yep," Aya confirmed awkwardly. She didn't know how to handle her father in this state. "I'm awake, Dad. I'm okay now. It's all good. I'm fine. Can we sit down or something, please?" Dr. Stein helped her into the living room and got her seated comfortably onto the sofa. "Much better. Standing was taking way more effort than it should have."

Her father mumbled under his breath, "Well, all things considered..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Dr. Stein sat down across from his daughter. "Do you remember anything that happened to you?"

Aya tried to recall the memories, but she couldn't. "No. The last thing I clearly remember is... I think it was right before fighting Ana. I remember that I fought her, but what actually happened is all just a blur. Everything after that is all jumbled up too." Aya's entire body started to ache dully. "What the hell happened to me? Didn't somebody try to kill me?" And Ana. "Ana! Where's Ana? I haven't seen her yet. Is she okay?"

"One question at a time, Aya," Dr. Stein slowed her down. "But yes, somebody tried to kill you. And they succeeded."

Aya tried to wrap her brain around that.  _ So I did die. _ But then... "Then how am I alive now? Am I a zombie like Sid? And did they get Ana too?"

"I said one question at a time. You're alive because I managed to fix your body up enough to get your heart beating again, but I have no idea how your soul came back. That was just luck, I think. And no, you're not a zombie. You're actually alive, by some miracle."

Aya didn't miss his apprehension towards mentioning her sister. "What about Ana?" she asked, losing patience, "Where is she?"

Dr. Stein sucked in a deep breath and let out what he still didn't want to admit to himself, "Ana... Didn't survive. I tried to save her, but she didn't come back like you did. She just... I'm sorry, Aya. I'm sorry..." Without even trying, Aya could feel her father's soul wavelength wavering and pulsing dangerously. She'd never felt that type of energy before, but it made her uneasy, and she knew whatever it was couldn't be good.

"Dad... It's not your fault," She reassured him, having yet to register the news of her sister's death, "I know you did everything you could." A thin image of Ana standing with her mother flashed through Aya's mind, though she didn't know where it came from. "It was her choice to stay behind." Why did I just say that?

Dr. Stein blinked in sad confusion. "What do you mean, 'stay behind?' Stay behind where?"

"I... I'm not sure. Wherever souls go once you die, I guess."

"Did you go there too?'

"Probably." Aya confessed, "I can't really remember it though. There's little bits of something here and there, but I don't remember it. But I know I didn't want to stay." Aya remembered the gate and the Everything inside it. "I went out this huge door. Ana wanted to stay, and she didn't want me to leave. She tried to stop me, but I left." A wave of guilt flooded through Aya's heart. "I left her behind. She just wanted the three of us to finally be together again, but I turned my back on her! How could I abandon them?!" Aya came close to crying, but she choked back the sobs. Still, a few tears fell and got soaked up by the gauze across the middle of her face.

New questions arose in Dr. Stein's mind. However, he decided that they could wait. Aya had had enough stress for having just woken up. "Come on. You come on over to your room and just rest, okay? You need it."

She nodded wordlessly, not trusting herself to speak without breaking into sobs of guilt. Aya let her father support her into the twins' bedroom. No, just Aya's room now. The thought made Aya's heart shatter a little bit more as everything really started hitting her.  _ So this is grief, huh? I never realised… _

Lying horizontal in her own bed felt much better than waking up in that stiff hospital bed, though Aya still felt oddly numb. Maybe it's from being dead, she reasoned.

"If you're feeling up to it, you can take those bandages off and get dressed. For now, though, I'd recommend just getting some sleep." Dr. Stein pulled a small red button out of his pocket and set it on the night stand. "If you need anything, you push that and I'll come, alright? Alright," he took her lack of a response as confirmation. "Rest well, Aya. I'm glad you're back." Her father closed the door behind him, leaving Aya in darkness.

She knew she shouldn't, but crawled off the bed and stumbled to the closet. Aya just wanted a nightshirt or something comfortable to wear for now. Anything was better than just a pair of shorts and some gauze. It didn't take long to find her huge blue tee shirt. It was exactly where she left it. Nobody had touched a thing. She dragged herself back onto the bed and flicked on the table lamp. Before she changed clothes, Aya wanted the gauzy wrapping off. They were hot and scratchy, and she didn't want to wear them anymore.

She undid the fastening on the one around her face and let it fall to the floor silently. She slowly undid the rest and when she looked up into the mirror, she froze.  _ What... No way... What the hell is this?! _

All across her body were long, red, unhealed cuts, each section fastened together by big, black stitches.


	5. Chapter 5

_ Oh my god... _ Aya stared at the mirror in shock. How could she have not noticed? She should have been in horrible pain, seeing the extent of her wounds. She ran her fingers along the line that ran from her left hip up to right underneath her right ribcage. It should've hurt, doing that, but she could barely feel the pressure she was exerting.  _ I got that I was hurt, but I didn't expect this much! Just how bad was it? _ Aya twisted carefully, not wanting to break the stitches. Her shock doubled when she saw the other side.

The wounds weren't just on the front. Each one extended all the way around her, like she'd been sliced up into pieces. The memory of the moment of her death played back in her head painfully.  _ I guess that  _ is _ what happened. Damn... I figured I'd been pretty messed up, but not this much. cut all the way through, huh? Dad did say he had to fix me up... He sure had his work cut out for him... Hehe... 'cut out' for him! I love puns... Jesus Christ! What's wrong with me?! _ Aya pulled her night shirt on over her head before she thought up anything worse.  _ Don't want to wind up dissecting myself, now, do I? _ Aya touched the ends of her hair. Once long and dynamic, now it scarcely passed the bottoms of her ears, almost even with the horizontal line across her face. Now, Aya really did look just like her father.

Stressed and exhausted, despite having been unconscious for who knows how long, Aya crawled onto her bed and dragged the covers up. She'd expected to feel warm, safe and secure, but she just felt horribly lonely and lost without her other half sleeping on the other side of the room. Ana wasn't there, and she never would be again.

* * *

 

Aya slipped into sleep quickly, released from the real world for a short time. A vaguely familiar scent drifted through the air around her, setting her at ease.  _ Lavender... and white sage, I think. _ The world of her dream built itself around her, filling in empty space with fresh, sparkling snow and an all-too familiar house beckoning her to enter. It was no mansion, but it was large and old, and Aya longed to enter it.

She tromped through the snow, leaving deep footprints leading up to the front steps. She pushed open the heavy oak doors, entering her childhood home for the first time in over ten years. The front hall was lit with candles displayed in a variety of different ways, from sconces to candelabras. The flickering golden light gave the air a certain enchanted feel, reflecting off of the shiny, dark wood floor like the orb-shaped lights of souls. Most people would've thought the ornate dark violet walls were depressing and restrictive, but Aya felt warm and welcomed in the candlelit hall. Upstairs, she knew the room she and Ana shared beckoned at the end of the corridor, across from their mother's room, which had sat dusty and abandoned after her death.

Another oak door stood directly ahead, centred between the twin staircases. It had been left slightly ajar, allowing a brighter golden glow to shine through the crack.  _ Is someone else here? _ Has approached and pushed the door open. A warm fire crackled in the heart, illuminating the sitting room. Everything was arranged just as she remembered, from the chess table by the window to the soft black sofas to the large portrait of her beautiful mother over the mantle in its ornate golden frame. On either side of the portrait sat photographs of each twin as babies. Their mother's little treasures. There was an old rocking chair in front of the fire, and though she couldn't see her face, Aya recognised her mother sitting in it. The black lace cloak she wore was one-of-kind.

"Mom?" Aya called softly.

"Aya." Her greeting sounded harsh and cold. "Where is your sister?"

A pang of sadness stabbed at Aya's heart. "I'm so sorry, mother. Ana... She's..."

"Dead. You think I don't know that?"

"But then-"

"When I died, I gave you one job. One simple thing I wanted you to do. Tell me what that was." She stayed silent. "Tell me!"

Aya hung her head in shame. "To keep Ana safe."

"And did you?"

"I tried!"

"Then why is it that she dead and you're not?" The implied accusation stung like a slap in the face. "Why are you alive, not Ana?"

"...I really did try, mother. Just... I tried to do something good, but I got reckless and... and then Ana... both of us... we got killed."

"And just who killed you two?"

"I can't remember their face. I just know they were a witch-"

"Wrong!" Her mother interjected. She stood up in front of the fire. " _ You _ killed Ana. You killed yourself. You put the two of you in that situation. You killed my daughter!" As if it was summoned, a huge serpent erupted from the fire and lunged at her, swallowing her whole.

* * *

 

Aya's shriek ripped through the stillness of the lab, jolting Dr. Stein out of an uneasy sleep. After brief scramble to his senses, he rushed into his daughter's room, where she continued to scream and thrash as if she were being attacked. "Aya!" He hollered as he grabbed her and tried to hold her still, "Aya, calm down! It's alright! You're fine! Calm down, or you'll hurt yourself!"

Gradually, she did stop howling and thrashing, breaking into hysterics instead. "She's coming for me," her voice quavered, "She slithers in, slithers out, always seen, never found out. Nobody knows, nobody knows! Only we've seen, but I survived, so now she's coming for me!" The terrified glint in her eyes and gleeful giggles unsettled even the mad doctor. Her neurotic rocking and eerie incantation sent chills up his spine and made him wonder just what he'd done to his daughter. "She's coming, you'll see. You'll see! She got my mom, she got my sister, and soon she'll come again for me!"

"Nobody is coming for you, Aya," Dr. Stein assured her, "You're safe here. Nobody is going to get you."

"'You can't escape,' she told me once." Aya continued rambling as if he hadn't spoken at all. "Wherever we went, she watched. We didn't know, of course we didn't know!" With a nervous giggle, Aya whispered to her father, "The witch always comes."

* * *

 

After a week of observation, Dr. Stein decided that Aya was in a good enough condition to return to school. On her first day back, Aya just wanted to hide. She wore gloves and a new long, dark brown coat with the hood up and a long white scarf wrapped around her face. She retreated into the furthest, darkest corner of the room in hopes of not being noticed. When the other students began filing in, she curled into a ball and tried to disappear, not wanting to be seen. Though they still chatted and laughed with each other, a heavy cloud hung over everyone.

Paranoia filled Aya's mind like a poison.  _ Any of these people could've killed me, _ she thought, unable to remember the night of her death,  _ It could be them! They want to kill me! Even if they didn't kill me and Ana, if they see me, they'll think I'm some kind of monster. They'll probably throw stones at me or beat me with sticks like people used to do to freaks! _

"Hey, someone's already here," Aya flinched when a female student noticed her presence. "Professor, who is that?"

"I'll tell everyone once class starts," Dr. Stein replied, "For now, just give her some space. She... she needs some time to adjust."

As more and more students entered the room, Aya's distress grew worse. Able to feel their master's mental anguish, Corpus whined and Saint nuzzled and nudged at her arm in a failed attempt to get her attention. The rising number and volume of nearby conversations was driving Aya's paranoia through the roof. She clamped her hands over her ears, muttering, "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Other students were starting to take notice of the wrapped-up student in the back, pointing at her and whispering to one another. "Go away," she said, squeezing her eyes shut and burying her face in her knees, "Stop looking at me! Stop looking!"

"Hey, are you okay?" Aya cringed at the interruption. She glanced up to see Maka Albarn staring down at her, looking concerned.

Aya hid her face again. "Stop looking at me!"

Maka looked startled, either by Aya's odd behaviour or the familiarity of her voice. "Wait... Ana?"

"No, I'm Aya."

"You're alive? But we all were told you and Ana were killed!"

"We were."

"But you're alive, Aya!"

"Dad brought me back."

"When's Ana coming back?" Aya stiffened at the question. Ana was never coming back. Aya got to come back while Ana was the one to die, all because of Aya's stupid, reckless decision. "Aya? When is she coming back?"

Aya breathed out scarcely more than a whisper, "She's not. Now just leave me alone, would you?"

It took Maka a moment to understand, but when she did, she couldn't think of what to say. She uttered a quick, "I'm so sorry, Aya," and returned to her partner's side. From the gasps and surprised expressions, she told them about Aya's return and Ana's fate. They all gave her short glances, but seemed unable to look at her for more than a second. All except one, that is.

Kid couldn't seem to stop looking at her, and it made Aya nervous.  _ Why is he looking at me like that? _ she thought, paranoia taking over again,  _ It could've been him! Was Kid the one who killed me? Maybe that's why he's staring: He's trying to figure out how to get rid of me for good! _

If she'd been mentally sound, she would never have thought that for even a second. Instead, she would've seen the sadness in Kid's eyes and the sense of guilt he felt. He thought that Ana and Aya's deaths were his fault, even though he really had nothing to do with it. He just wished he could have been there to help them both when they'd needed it.

Kid found himself climbing the steps up to the newly-returned Aya, and his heart broke upon seeing her curled up into a terrified little ball. Hardly a month ago she'd been confident, strong, and unshakable. Now, she was scared and broken, but who could blame her? "Hey there, Aya," he greeted her awkwardly. What else do you say to someone in her position? 'Hey, glad you're not dead, too bad about your sister'? No way. 'So if you're not dead, why isn't your sister alive too'? Good heavens, no! Aya shifted a tiny bit, just enough that her could see one of her eyes. They looked so dull and empty compared to when he'd last seen her, and the small amount of skin he could see was pale and ashen.  _ That trauma sure took a lot out of her, didn't it? _

"Kid?" For just a moment, there was a flicker of happiness in her eyes, but they quickly returned to their dull and lifeless state. "What're you doing up here? You should be with your friends."

_ She sounds so sad... _ Kid sat down next to Aya, being careful to give her enough space to be comfortable. "I want to be up here with you though. I want to talk to you."

"No you don't."

"I do! If you want me to leave, I will, but I'd really like it if you'd let me sit with you up here." Aya tugged her scarf higher up her face to the point where it was covering her eyes, which she was squeezing shut. She muttered something, but it was so quiet and so muffled that Kid couldn't understand it. "What was that?"

"I said 'okay.' You can sit with me."

Kid smiled, "Thanks, Aya."

 

Throughout the day, Aya had a lot of small panic attacks, in which she would cry out quietly and start shaking while trying to hide in her scarf and coat. As far as she was from the other students, nobody noticed, other than Kid, who was sitting next to her, and Dr. Stein, who was watching for it. Overall, she seemed to be doing well, considering the circumstances.

Up where Aya sat, she was feeling fairly calm, in comparison to the rest of the day. She was starting to relax a bit, and she knew it was partly due to Kid. He was treating her hardly any different than he did before, and was so patient with her, helping calm her down and distract her from her panic attacks. She turned to look at him, meaning to say something, but instead of focusing on Kid doodling on his paper, she only saw the woman in black standing behind him.

A bone-chilling shriek startled the everyone out of their studious trance. They all whipped their heads around to see Aya, the source of the sound, scrambling away from something only she could see, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Get away from me! Don't touch me! Leave me alone!"

"Aya, calm down! What are you screaming at? There's nothing there!" Kid desperately tried to calm Aya down, but to no avail. To her, he may as well have been a ghost. "Professor Stein, what do I do?!"

"Everyone, leave the room," he commanded his students, who promptly obeyed. "Not you, Kid. I might need your help." The other students left and Dr. Stein rushed up to his screaming daughter. He knelt down in front of her and tried to snap her out of her fit. "Aya, look at me. Look at me!"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying backwards.

"Professor!"

"I'm fine," he groaned, "Try to hold her still." While Kid sat behind a thrashing Aya trying to restrain her, Dr. Stein pulled a syringe out of his coat pocket. "Sorry about this, Aya," he said right before he stuck the needle into Aya's carotid artery and injected the contents.

"No! Stop it! Leave me... Leave me alone..." Aya started going limp in Kid's arms and her eyes gradually closed. "Get away... Don't want... Black..." She fell into an artificial sleep and slumped against Kid.

"What did you just give her?" the boy asked out of concern.

"Just a tranquilizer," Stein assured him, "She's been getting like this at home, so I carry a few with me as a precaution. This is the worst attack she's had though. I had no clue she'd gotten this bad." Right then, Kid realised how tired his teacher was. His eyes had dark shadows under them and his posture was more slouched than usual. "You mind taking Aya to the infirmary? I'd appreciate it."

"Of course, Professor." Kid picked her up, holding her gently. She had atrophied in her absence, becoming light, skinny, and seemingly frail.  _ So much about her has changed. _

"Oh, and Kid," Dr. Stein told Kid as he started down the steps, "You can go home afterward if you want. I'm ending class early."

"Alright, Professor. See you tomorrow, then."

After he brought Aya to the infirmary, Kid didn't go home. He didn't even leave the room. No, he just sat by Aya's bedside waiting for her to wake up. "You shouldn't wake up alone," he said to her sleeping form, "Not with the state you're in." He absentmindedly touched the padded leather restraints on her wrists tying her to her bed. "I wish you didn't have to wake up in these." Kid noticed how hot she was, with small beads of sweat start to form on her forehead. "What're you wearing such warm clothing for, numbskull?" Although he was told not to, Kid undid Aya's restraints just long enough to get her arms out of her sleeves so he could remove her coat. When he unwrapped her scarf, a stab of shock hit him as he stared at her face. "So that's what you were hiding." He thought he understood her trauma before, but looking at the barely-healed scar across her face and the black thread holding it closed, he realised that he had no clue just how bad it was.  _ It's really a miracle she survived. This wound should've killed her, _ he thought, tracing the reddish line into her hair. Kid expected the scar to end behind her ear where it seemed to disappear, but it kept going. He tilted Aya's head, eyebrows scrunching together as the scar got closer and closer to the back of her head. Before he knew it, he'd traced all the way around her head, right back where he'd started.  _ What the hell happened to her? It looks like the top half of her head got completely cut off! _ He looked down at her arms, bare due to her shirt having no sleeves. Her right arm had a single scar right below the deltoid muscle. The left, on the other hand, had been severed at the wrist and high up near the shoulder joint. Now that he was really looking, there was a scar at the base of her neck too, and he had a feeling there were many more that he couldn't see. For once, the asymmetry didn't bother him. There were much heavier thoughts on his mind.

Kid refastened Aya's restraints, but held onto her hand. "I'll make you this promise right now, Aya," he swore, "If you ever need help, no matter what, no matter where, I'll come for you."


	6. Chapter 6

Dr. Stein stood outside the infirmary, mentally punching himself. How could Aya’s condition have slipped past him so easily? He had known the moment she had a pulse again that she would likely have extreme PTSD, but he didn’t realise just how unstable she was. Not until he got up close to her during her last episode. He couldn’t get it out of his head: Aya’s screams, the thrashing, but most of all, the look in her eyes. It was pure terror. Her hallucination had been more real than the people in front of her, and the thought of that alone frightened the madman. If she kept getting worse, who knew what she might wind up doing? 

“Hey, Stein,” Spirit called from down the hall, “Maka told me what happened. You okay?”

Stein shrugged, “She kicked me pretty hard, but I’ll be fine.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

The two men were silent for a moment before Stein finally whispered, “I shouldn’t have done it.”

Spirit stared at him. “What do you mean, ‘I shouldn’t have done it?’ What shouldn’t you have done?”

“I shouldn’t have brought Aya back.” Stein said it so softly, Spirit could barely hear him, as if any more than a whisper would make the thought real. “I knew that if I succeeded, she wouldn’t be the same, that the stress and trauma would probably break her mind. Even so, I did it anyway and subjected her to a life of paranoia and madness just because I didn’t want her to be dead!”

“Stein, stop it!” Spirit cut him off, “It’s not like you wanted her to be messed up. She’s your daughter, of course you wanted to bring her back! I guarantee she doesn’t blame you for her condition.”

“But it’s my fault-”

“Oh, shut up! If you feel that guilty, then find a way to help her! You beat death, how hard could a mental illness be?” 

Dr. Stein stuck an unlit cigarette in his mouth and twisted the giant bolt in his head absently. “I’ve been trying to figure it out, but I can’t wrap my head around it. Every tiny improvement makes her worse. It doesn’t make sense.”

“You do know that sentence contradicts itself, right?”

“I know! That’s the point. Whenever she calms down and gets stable again, she remembers something or hallucinates and winds up twice as unstable as she was before!”

“What’s she been seeing? It might be a hint-”

“You think I haven’t thought of that?” Stein snapped, “I know the things she sees are critical to her mental state, but just thinking about it triggers another episode, and I can’t get anything out of her except riddles! I’d use that to get the answers I need to help her, but…”

“She’s your daughter,” Spirit finished for him, “I get it. The only way to fix her is so bad even you can’t do it, huh?”

“Just not to Aya,” Stein shook his head, “She’s been through too much. I wouldn’t have a problem doing it to anyone else.”

“Right when I thought you had a conscience.” The hall was still for a moment, until Spirit asked, “What about her mother? Would she know how to help?”

“I doubt it. She’s dead.”

“What happened to her?”

“Dunno. The girls showed up at my door when they were six, but their mother was long dead by then. Apparently, she died when they were infants. I’ve been wondering if her loss has anything to do with Aya’s condition.”

“That’s tragic,” Spirit lamented before noticing something. “Stein, you said your girls were six when they arrived, right?”

“I just said that. Why?”

“If their mother died when they were babies, what happened up until they found you?”

* * *

 

Aya’s head was pounding and deafening droning of a thousand wasps filled her ears as she slowly regained consciousness. She groaned weakly as she shifted and flexed her stiff muscles, though the mattress she was on made it difficult to get comfortable.

“Aya? Are you awake?” Aya’s eyes snapped open at the unexpected voice and she bolted upright, pushing herself as far away as possible, though her actions were greatly hindered by her restraints.

“Kid!” she gasped once she processed who it was. “What’re you doing here?” 

“I was just keeping an eye on you while you were out,” he answered. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No!” Aya shouted right as he was getting up. She quickly retreated into a nervous whisper, “Don’t leave me alone. They might come back!”

Kid looked around before asking, “Um… Who might come back?”

“I...I don’t know,” she admitted, “But it’s the person who attacked me and Ana. They’ll come back, I’m sure of it!”

“Why do you think that?”

Aya’s eyes suddenly lost focus and she seemed to be staring right through Kid. “She always comes back. She said she’d find us and she did. She got my mom, then my sister, and soon she’ll get me!” With each passing word, she sounded more and more panicked and deranged, which was only accentuated by her frenzied rocking.

“Aya?” Kid tried to get her attention, both to prevent another episode and to figure out why Aya switched from calling the unknown ‘them’ to ‘she’. “Aya, snap out of it!” He grabbed her arm and shook her lightly, which seemed to bring her out of her trance. “Who is ‘she’?”

Aya’s eyes jumped from place to place like she was looking for something. “I don’t know. I should know, but I don’t. It’s all somewhere in my head, I know, but when I try to remember, I start seeing things.” Before he knew it, Aya had fallen back on the bed, giggling a creepy song of sorts. “Snakes, snakes, slither about. Into the shadows, where do you go? Report to your master but nobody knows. She’ll come for you! She’ll come for you! Cut up to bits then bitten to madness, whaddya do? Whaddya do?” Aya paused her ranting for a moment, staring directly into Kid’s eyes and grinning in a way that sent chills down his spine. “Perhaps, Son of Death, she’ll come for you too!” Once she finished, she erupted into a fit of giggles fit for a true madwoman. After a few minutes though, the laughter turned into sobs. “What the hell is wrong with me?!” she cried, “Why do I say these things?! It’s like I can’t even control my own head anymore!”

Kid wanted to comfort her somehow, but he was too bewildered by the spectacle at hand to speak.

“I can feel my sanity slipping away further and further away every day, but I can’t stop it! This isn’t like me. Why do I say these things? Why do I see things? What the hell is it that I’m seeing in the first place?!” Aya’s weeping intensified. “I just want it to stop!”

“Aya…”

“Don’t look at me, Kid,” she snapped, “You don’t want to look at me, right? I’m ugly now, aren’t I?”

“W...What?”  _ Did I hear her right? Since when was Aya the twin who cared about appearances? _

“You think asymmetrical things are hideous abominations. You think I’m disgusting now that I’m not symmetrical anymore!”

“Aya, you’re being ridiculous. I don’t think you’re ugly.”

“Don’t lie to me!” she yelled.

“I’m not lying! I don’t care that you’re not symmetrical! I don’t think you’re ugly and I know nobody else would think that either.” In an effort to get through to her, Kid gently took hold of Aya’s hand, hoping the contact would ground her mind a bit. “Trust me, Aya.”

She flinched at first, and her muscles kept switching from contracted to relaxed as her brain tried to work out how to react. Eventually, she settled down and unwound. “My head hurts,” she mumbled, “I’m gonna sleep it off. Could you grab me some water first though?”

Kid smiled, glad that she was somewhat back to normal. “No problem. You want anything to help you sleep? I can ask your dad or the nurse.”

“No drugs. Just the water.” She grumbled quietly as she settled herself back against her pillow, “Dad has me on enough meds as it is.”

Kid filled up a glass and tipped it lightly against Aya’s lips. “I’d undo your restraints and let you do this yourself, but Dr. Stein specifically told me not to,” he apologised, though he was quickly forgiven with a tiny shrug of her shoulders. 

“I don’t get why,” she mumbled between sips, “I’m not planning on going anywhere.”

“I think it’s more to make sure you don’t hit anyone.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Aya yawned and settled herself against her pillow, “Would you stay with me while I sleep? I don’t want to be alone.”

Kid smiled. “Of course I will.”  _ You don’t even have to ask. _

* * *

 

“Wake up, lazy!” Aya woke up from her nap in the lab, blinking groggily after being shaken out of her nap. “Come on, Aya, get up!”

The gears in Aya’s whirred out of control as she tried to figure out what was going on. She’d been sleeping soundly on the couch in the lab, though she didn’t remember coming home. The entire room was tidier than she’d ever seen it in her life, and last time she checked, her old jacket she was wearing had been destroyed when her and Ana were attacked. _Did Dad make me a new one? Nah, he couldn’t have. He’s crap at making clothes._ _Wait… Me and Ana..._

“Helloo, Earth to space cadet!” Like a miracle, there was Ana, waving her hand in front of Aya to get her attention, as if nothing had ever happened to her.

“Ana?”

“No, it’s Crazy Aunt Meddie coming to get you,” Ana joked, “Of course it’s me. You really are out of it, aren’t you?”

Aya bolted up and grabbed her supposedly dead twin, touching and inspecting her face, trying to figure out if she was just another hallucination.

“Aya, why ah yu shquishing mah faysh?”

Ana seemed solid enough, so Aya released her. “How are you not dead?”

“What’re you talking about? You’re still asleep, aren’t you?”

Aya shook her head a few times, as if to rid herself of her confusion. “I must be. My dream just felt so real…”

“Well, come on. Mom said dinner was ready.”

Aya’s blood froze. “ _ Mom _ said?”

“Yeah, she made your favourite,” Ana chirped happily before turning around to see her sister as white as a sheet. “Aya, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

Aya’s voice shook, processing a phrase she didn’t think she’d ever hear, “I’m fine. I’m fine. Just… I’m still waking up. In my dream… Nevermind.”  _ ‘Mom said dinner was ready.’ _ Their mother was alive?

“Aya?”

“Come on, girls! The stroganoff will get cold!” A woman called from the kitchen, her familiar, warm, subtle Russian accent bringing tears that bit at Aya’s eyes.

_ Mom! Mom really is alive! All of those horrible things… Mom’s death, our murder, did it really not happen?  _ Aya drew a sigh, more relieved than she’d ever been in her life.  _ It was all just a dream. One long, horrible dream. Thank god. _ Ready to burst into tears at the prospect of seeing her mother again, Aya’s voice quavered, “Coming, Mom!”

 

In Aya’s dream, they’d never had a real family dinner. Their father was usually too busy to have a sit-down meal. Their mother was dead. The twins usually ate by themselves. Ana’s favourite food had been fried rice, and Aya’s was beef heart cooked in brown sugar. She’d never had stroganoff before.

But damn, it was delicious.

In between mouthfuls of beef, noodles, and sour cream, Aya stared at her mother. In her dream, reality, alternate universe, whatever it was, Aya had only ever seen her mother in dreams and when she was in the afterlife. But her face had always been somewhat hidden in shadow or behind a veil. In this world, at this table, her face was unobscured, and she was beautiful. Every feature radiated warmth and kindness and motherly love. She was the mother Aya had always wanted. She was so distracted by her long-dead mother that she barely noticed her father’s empty seat.

“Where’s Dad?” Ana asked casually.

“He’s working late at the school again,” their mother mused, “Always the workaholic, your father.” She took a quick sip of her drink and grinned at the twins. “But since your father’s not here, that means you can fill me in on all the juicy gossip you don’t want him to know about! So what’s been going on at school?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Aya muttered, having no idea what was going on in this world.

Ana singsonged, “I beg to differ~”

Aya narrowed her eyes at Ana. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Rumour has it  _ somebody _ finally got herself a boyfriend.”

Aya came close to choking in surprise. “Woahwoahwoah,  _ what?! _ ”

“Aw, my little girl is growing up!” their mother cooed at the unexpected announcement.

“But it’s not- No! Ana, what the hell? Who said that?”

“Let’s see, Maka, Soul, Tsubaki,” Ana counted on her fingers, “Liz and Patti, obviously… Pretty much everyone.”

“No way,” Aya protested, “Absolutely  _ NO. WAY. _ ”

“Aya and Kid sittin’ in a tree~”

“Quit being stupid, Ana,” Aya snipped, “He doesn’t like me and I don’t like him. I’m like Dad. I don’t even like people all that much.” In the brief pause in conversation, something hissed, so quiet Aya almost passed it off as her imagination. “Please tell me one of you heard that.”

Ana and their mother glanced worriedly at each other. “Honey, are you feeling alright? You seem a little… off.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Aya muttered, unable to shake the uneasy prickle in her spine, “Just had a weird-” Aya shrieked as she looked back down at her food, only to meet the cold eyes of a black snake coiled up on her plate. The snake launched itself at Aya and wrapped itself tightly around her throat. She fell from her chair, struggling against it, choking, “Mom… Ana… Help me!” But they kept chatting as if nothing was wrong.

_ “They’re dead, child,” _ the snake hissed in her ear,  _ “Your dear mother and sweet sister are dead because of you. They can never help you again.” _ The snake coiled tighter and laughed thinly,  _ “You’re mine now!” _

* * *

 

Once again, Aya awoke, adrenaline rushing through her body and the sound of rhythmic war drums pounding in her ears. She tugged at her restraints, her green eyes dilated and darting around the room, searching for the hissing black serpent lurking in the shadows. She glanced to the side at Kid, sound asleep in his chair. 

Taking advantage of her chaperone’s inattention, Aya began making her escape. The longer chains on the padded cuffs around her ankles made it easy to reach across the bed and use her toes to undo the buckle around her left ankle. She used her freed foot to do the same to the other cuff, then bent herself unnaturally and unbuckled her hands. 

Completely free, she rushed over to the window, her bare feet making next to no noise against the tiles. Aya opened the window, and with a quick glance down to judge the distance, she jumped. 

How she landed without injuring herself, she didn't know or care. Maybe she did hurt herself, but if that was the case, she didn't notice. Almost as soon as she hit the ground, Aya took off running. She ran in a panicked frenzy through Death City, fleeing the endless sinister hissing that only seemed to grow louder with each step she took. 

Soon, wicked yellow eyes began peering out from every gutter and shadow, every dark window and storm drain. Aya ran harder, and black snakes started slithering after her from every roof, crack, and crevice she passed. She didn't know how long she'd been running or how far she'd gone, hell, she didn't even know where she was! But she pushed forward and sideways and any direction there weren't evil serpents, fighting the fatigue in her legs threatening to drop her to the ground.

Aya felt like she was drowning in her worst nightmare, fear and hissing and cold black scales all swirling together in the whirlwind of a shattered mind. The snakes quickly gained ground on her, almost snapping at her bloody bare heels. Desperate to get away, she dashed around hoping to find some refuge. She eventually stumbled upon a tiny door and dove through it without any thought and shut the door behind her. For a split second, all sound ceased. In the silence, she relaxed, then shrieked when the snakes outside began throwing themselves at the door trying to get in. Aya screamed and cried in the tiny, dark space, completely alone, trapped in her own nightmarish hallucination.


End file.
